


Clover's Goodbye

by Fluffguff25



Series: Dawnclan's Beginning [1]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Dawnclan Stories, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:41:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23721784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fluffguff25/pseuds/Fluffguff25
Summary: She has to do this. It's the best for everyone involved. Her kit will be happy and healthy there. She just hoped her daughter would forgive her some day.
Series: Dawnclan's Beginning [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1708591
Kudos: 1





	Clover's Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> Note: This story takes place in my own clan universe. Dawnclan is the only clan in this area. This particular story takes place a few moons after the main story, which is about the war between Dawnclan and Iceclan. I'll have more stories up as time goes on but they may be out of order. I'll eventually make a timeline to help you know which events take place. Enjoy this story.

Clover woke at dawn nice and warm. She yawned and blinked the sleep away from her eyes. Soft mewling brought her gaze down to the small, warm kit at her side. Her daughter squirmed in her sleep a little more, then settled as she found a comfortable spot against her. Clover hated to wake her so early, but Patchbreeze had agreed to meet just a little after dawn, after the sun had risen. He'd be at their meeting spot soon.

She gently licked her daughter's head to rouse her. "Wake up little one." 

The little molly whined in her sleep but, after some more prompting, opened her eyes. She let out a big yawn and blinked sleepily at her mother. "Mama, I'm tired!"

Clover shushed her gently and whispered, "I know, I know, but we have to wake up early today."

Her daughter perked up with curiosity at that. "Why?" she squeaked. 

"We have to meet someone soon." Clover explained as she groomed her daughter's pelt. She did want her to look presentable after all.

As expected, the young kit became more alert at the announcement. "I'm going outside!?" Her blue eyes sparkled in excitement. Clover briefly wondered if they would stay blue, or turn a different ccolor. Would she have yellow eyes, like her? Or green eyes, like her father? Perhaps she would have one of each?

Realizing she hadn't answered her kit, she shook herself out of her pondering. "Yes sweetie. You get to go outside today." The little calico looked so giddy at her answer. If she were another kit she may have even cheered, but her daughter had always been fairly calm and quiet in the short time she had been in this world. Perhaps if she had littermates she would be more rambunctious. Clover hoped that the group Patchbreeze was a part of had other kits her daughter could befriend and play with. "Now, hold still and let me groom you a bit more." she purred as she started grooming again, trying to ignore the heavy feeling in her chest. 

A short while later they approached the entrance of the small den that had been their home for a while. Her daughter had a nervous but excited look as she stumbled a bit in her attempt to keep up. As they stepped just outside, the little kit looked around in wonder at the vastness of it all. She waddled a bit away from the entrance. "It's so big out here...." she mewed in awe. Clover had to bite back a purr at the cuteness. Unfortunately they couldn't spend anymore time here, Patchbreeze would be along any minute, if he wasn't already waiting for them.

"Come here." she called gently to her kit. When her daughter was back by her side again she meowed, "Now, we have to go a little distance away from here. It's a little far, so I'm going to carry you so you don't get tired. We won't be able to stop so try to get a good look at everything as we're going along, ok?"

"Ok Mama." 

"Good girl." Clover purred, she reached down and picked up her daughter by the scruff of her neck, then set off at a brisk pace, trying to hurry along while also trying not to shake her daughter so much. As they traveled she could hear her daughter making little sounds of amazement.

For the tiny kit it was all so amazing. Everything was so big and bright! There were a few things that she wanted to ask Mama about, like what was that long green stuff? And what were those fluffy things in the sky? Ooh and those little black things it the air? But Mama said that they couldn't stop. Maybe if she was good, Mama would tell her on the way back!

After a good while, the pair finally came to a grove of trees. Clover slowed down and scanned the area. She glanced over and saw a little outcrop of stones to her right. She walked over and gently placed her kit right by it so she would be out of sight. The kit glanced up at her in confusion. "Stay down and stay quiet, ok? Don't make a sound until I come get you." she whispered. The little molly's eyes widened in surprise and a little fear, causing Clover to lick her comfortingly. "It'll be alright," she soothed. "Mama will be right back."

Clover walked the short distance away to where the Dawnclan border would be. "Patchbreeze? Patchbreeze?" she called quietly. Where was he? A rustle in the bushes caused her to whirl in it's direction, unintentionally fluffing her fur up. 

Then a familiar voice met her ears, "Clover?" Her nerves gave way to relief as a familiar face poked out of the bushes. He blinked sheepishly at her. "Hey," he meowed in greeting, "sorry I'm a little late, I overslept a tiny bit."

"Oh no, no, it's fine, really, I just got here a minute ago." She said awkwardly. 

"Oh." He said just as equally awkward. A few seconds of silence passed between them. In those few seconds she reflected on the time they had spent together, short as it was. She really did care for him, even loved him, but she just couldn't tie herself down to a tom or one place to live. She had always traveled, always had looked out for herself ever since she was young. She couldn't do that with her daughter, her kit didn't deserve that life. She needed stability, and her father could give that to her.

They were so close before. They kept running into each other while hunting, before the clan was a clan, before there were official borders. He was charming, and a little goofy, but she could see that he had a lot of passion and fight in him. He cared about others, which was so different from her. He had shown that love to her so many times. 

After they had mated he asked her to come live with him in their group, to be his mate. She did love him, she wouldn't deny that, but the thought of living around others and depending on others for survival scared her. She was the best one to take care of herself, and his group didn't work that way. So she had ended it, quite abruptly to her regret. Clover had seen in his eyes that he was brokenhearted at her response. She explained that it wasn't his fault, it was her fault for allowing them to get so close in the first place. It just wouldn't work out. She still couldn't erase that look of sadness off of his face. From there they had gone their separate ways, and she would have never seen him again, but life had different plans.

Patchbreeze licked his chest fur a few times and finally broke the silence. "Clover, it's so great to see you again, I've missed you. But uh.....I gotta ask, why did you want to meet me so early?"

"Oh! Well, I wanted to make sure that we were completely alone." She explained as she started to move back towards the rocks. "I want you to meet someone."

Patchbreeze cocked his head in confusion as Clover crouched and whispered something into the rocks before reaching in and grabbing something. It was....a kit? A little calico she-kit with big, beautiful eyes. The kit stared at him in a mix of wonder and apprehension as Clover returned and set her down at her paws. She couldn't have been much more than a moon old, she was so tiny! She was so cute!

"Well hi there little one!" Patchbreeze meowed enthusiastically. The little molly stared up at him for a few more seconds before finally mewing a soft, "Hi...." in return. Clover looked down warmly at the kit....but she also seem sad for some reason. 'Why?' He wondered.

"Patchbreeze," Clover paused, then took a deep breath to steal her nerves, and continued, "I want you to meet our daughter." Patchbreeze froze at that. 'Oh no,' she wondered, 'is he going to be upset? Maybe he doesn't want to even see her.'

But in the next instance, he seemed to melt. His green eyes seemed to soften even more as he looked back and forth at her and at the little kit at her paws. "She's ours?" he asked breathlessly. "She's yours and mine? Mine and yours? Our daughter? We have a daughter?"

"Yes." Clover couldn't hold back a purr at his tone of wonder. Of course he wasn't upset. Patchbreeze had a very big heart. Yes, he was a strong, skilled fighter, but she had seen that he had good humor and love to him all the same. She only hope that love would continue for their daughter with what she soon had to do.

"I'm a father....I'm a Papa...." He was still breathless, but had gained the goofiest expression that most cats would get when love struck. 

Clover leaned down to her kit, who was looking very confused and shy. "This is Patchbreeze," she told her gently, "he's your father."

"What's that?" she squeaked. 

"Well, just like I'm your Mama, he's your Papa." She explained. Her little one still looked confused, but she would get it soon enough. She braced herself for the hardest thing she was going to have to do. Patchbreeze was still staring at their daughter as if she was a gift from above and the most beautiful thing in the world. 'Which she is.' She reminded herself sadly. 

"Patchbreeze," she began, and waited until he directed his gaze towards her. "I want you to take her and raise her in your clan."  
She noticed that he looked surprised, but not extremely shocked as she had been expecting. 

"O-Oh, yeah, yeah, definitely!" He burst out happily. "The others will be very welcoming, I know it, you two will fit in like no time! And we'll get you guys some really good prey! I mean, I don't know if she's tasted it yet, but I'm sure she'll like it, and there's other kits that she can make friends with, oh and I'm sure you'd get along great with the other queens, and-"

"Patchbreeze!" She yelled to keep him from going any further. Both he and her kit jumped in surprise at her outburst. Patchbreeze looked at her puzzled, and she continued. "I'm not coming."

He blinked at her in surprise. "What?"

"I'm not coming." She repeated, firmer this time. "I want you to take her, but I'm not coming."

There was the shock she had been expecting. "Not coming?" he stammered, "but-but why!? Do you need to do something first!?" He was looking at her like she had grown a second head.

"No." She slightly turned away so she didn't have to see his face. "I've told you before, I don't like to be tied down to any cat. That's why I didn't want to meet anymore, remember?" 'Of course he remembers,' a tiny voice hissed within her, 'he gave you his heart and you broke it.' She ignored the thought. "It was about three moons ago. About a moon after that, I realized I was pregnant. Then I had her." She nodded down to her daughter, who seemed to be trying to follow the conversation, but was honestly too young to understand much. 

She continued. "When I gave birth I made up my mind that I would care for her until she was weaned, then I would bring her to you. I can't continue to take care of her. She deserves to have food in her belly everyday, friends to play with, and to know her father." She wanted him to understand, this was the best for their daughter. He had to see that.

"Ok, that makes sense." He agreed. "But what about you leaving? She should have her mother around too." A kit's mother was extremely important to have around just as much as the father. His mother had died when he was 10 moons old, and her absence still was hard to think about, but he had her around for all of his kithood at least.

Clover sighed, "Like I've told you, I can't live in a community of other cats. Ever since I was young I've always depended on myself, you know that! To tie myself to a group....it's just too much!"

Patchbreeze couldn't believe what he was hearing. He tried to appeal to her. "Ok fine, you don't want to live in a community of cats, but you can't put that aside until she's at least an apprentice? She's your kit! She needs you Clover!"

"She's old enough to be weaned, she'll be ok! She doesn't need me anymore." She argued back. Clover herself had never had her mother around much after she was weaned. Her mother would bring her prey, stick around for a bit, then leave. She had been fine with it, it was just the way things were for her. 

It had changed as she grew older. When she had reached around six moons of age her mother taught her how to hunt and fish very patiently. Clover had felt them growing closer over time, but it had ended so abruptly when her mother was killed by a dog. It had hurt so much. She had promised herself that she would never be close to anyone again. Then she wouldn't hurt so much when they left one way or another. She had kept this promise for a long time. Then she met Patchbreeze. 

Patchbreeze's tail lashed in irritation. They both had a responsibility to their kit, and all she cared about was living her life the way she wanted? Didn't she realize how much their kit really depended on her!? "Do you realize that a mother is more than someone who provides milk? A mother is one that teaches her kits, comforts her kits, plays with them. A mother gives them advice and loves them no matter what. A mother does not abandon her kits!" He struggled to keep his voice from raising too much. He didn't want to scare his daughter. She was already looking very nervous from the tension in the air. How could anyone leave this precious little kit? She barely said one word to him and he's in love with her!

Clover could feel her heart breaking at the look of disgust he was giving her. She forced herself to harden her heart and her voice came out much colder than before. "Patchbreeze, I'm leaving her with you. I know you'll take good care of her. By the time she's an adult she won't even remember this. She'll be happy and healthy with you. I love her and I still love you as well, this is just the best for all of us."

He stared at her for a few more seconds before looking away and scoffing angrily. "Fine, you're gonna do what you want I suppose. I just can't believe you would do something like this. Guess I didn't know you as well as I thought." His tail continued to lash angrily as Clover leaned down once more to talk with their kit.

"Listen to me." She said gently. Her kit gave her full attention. "You're going to live with your Papa now, ok? He's going to take care of you from now on."

"Ok," her kit mewed nervously. The other cat looked nice. But Mama would come too, right? Everything was happening too fast and it was a little scary. If Mama was with her she'd feel a lot better. "Mama, you're coming right?"

Clover knew that her kit wanted reassurance that her mother would be there and nothing bad would happen, but she couldn't give it to her. "No, sweetie, I have to go." She watched as her kit took in those words and grew distraught. Oh, her heart shouldn't be breaking this much! She had tried as hard as possible not to get attached. Those big eyes were staring at her with so much sadness that shouldn't be possible for a kit.

"You're going, Mama? Why!? Don't go!" The kit tried to climb on her, but Clover gently shook her off and backed up, away from her daughter. "I'm sorry my little one, I love you but I can't stay anymore, Papa will take good care of you, I promise." Clover could feel her resolve crumbling, she had to leave now! She turned to leave, when she was suddenly stopped by Patchbreeze calling out to her. "Clover wait!" She paused, waiting for him to continue. "What's her name?" She sighed and replied, "She doesn't have one." 

She then took off running before he could say anything more and before she could change her mind. For a long time, she could still hear her daughter calling to her. "Mama, wait! I'll be good! I love you Mama, don't go! Mama! MAMA! MAMA, COME BACK!!! MAMA!!!" Eventually, her calls faded away, and Clover finally stopped to rest. She heaved in breath after breath. Her heart felt like it was breaking in a thousand pieces but she didn't dare look back. If she looked back, it would be all to easy to go back to her kit and former mate. 

She forced herself to continue walking, she wouldn't end up stopping until nightfall, when she was miles away from the land she had called home for several moons. A bush in a twoleg lawn provided her shelter for the night. As she fell asleep, she tried to forget her kit's pleas for her to come back. She comforted herself that her daughter was in the best possible place. Patchbreeze would know his daughter and Clover wouldn't be hurt by losing anymore cats since she was now by herself. As she finally slipped into sleep, she noticed that she felt a lot colder than that morning.

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk to me on my Warrior Cats blog at fluffwhisker25.tumblr.com


End file.
